Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Maputo

For one person, living is cheaper in Maputo: $1,109 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bucharest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Maputo
Learn more

Maputo Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Maputo

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,109

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Maputo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bucharest and in Maputo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,109 in Maputo.

Bucharest $1,351
Maputo $1,109

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $1,720 in Maputo.

Bucharest $2,033
Maputo $1,720

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $2,331 in Maputo.

Bucharest $2,715
Maputo $2,331

Living in Bucharest is roughly 22% more expensive than in Maputo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Maputo is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$10.37 MZN 656

39.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$63.2 MZN 3,995

-8.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$6.95 MZN 440

7.91%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$2.28 MZN 144

50.44%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 RON 11.63

$0.87 MZN 55.2

182.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$0.73 MZN 46.29

219.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$1.60 MZN 101

137.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$2.32 MZN 147

76.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$1.52 MZN 96.1

8.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$1.00 MZN 63.0

35.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.67 MZN 106

6.59%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$2.52 MZN 159

45.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$21.02 MZN 1,329

-59.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$5.87 MZN 371

15.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$5.59 MZN 353

109.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$1.99 MZN 126

-35.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$0.79 MZN 50.2

97.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$1.71 MZN 108

-9.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$1.09 MZN 68.7

127.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$1.03 MZN 65.4

-19.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$0.75 MZN 47.25

6.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.96 MZN 61.0

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.91 MZN 57.4

2.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$2.83 MZN 179

127.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$10.11 MZN 639

-37.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$0.98 MZN 61.7

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.32 MZN 83.6

21.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.37 MZN 23.45

118.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$23.65 MZN 1,496

-10.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.60 MZN 101

-62.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$1.19 MZN 75.2

-48.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$24.44 MZN 1,546

-74.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.36 MZN 85.8

44.12%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$31.7K MZN 2.0M

-11.33%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$22.5K MZN 1.4M

16.81%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$197 RON 931

$71.5 MZN 4,520

175.47%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$8.34 RON 39.44

$7.75 MZN 490

7.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$88.1 MZN 5,573

-89.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$42.26 MZN 2,673

18.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$26.54 MZN 1,679

-5.84%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$7.88 MZN 499

7.36%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$639 RON 3,023

$129 MZN 8,158

395.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$5,162 MZN 326.5K

178.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$49.15 MZN 3,109

84.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$55.3 MZN 3,496

-31.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$77.2 MZN 4,881

3.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$78.1 MZN 4,940

19.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$536 MZN 33.9K

25.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$382 MZN 24.2K

17.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$1,061 MZN 67.1K

3.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$566 MZN 35.8K

28.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$4,129 MZN 261.1K

-9.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$2,051 MZN 129.7K

6.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$325 MZN 20.6K

307.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

-73.04%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Maputo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Maputo

$382 33.8% 14.9% $67

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Maputo

$150 13.3% 33.4% $75

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Maputo

$225 19.9% 1.5% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Maputo

$167 14.8% 22% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Maputo

$117 10.3% 13.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Maputo

$58 5.1% 13.1% $8.8

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Maputo

$33 2.9% 16.5% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $536 in Maputo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 307% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $63.0 in Maputo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $225 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇲🇿 Maputo

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

04:20 4:20 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

1,244,227 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.94 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Maputo 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Maputo

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bucharest vs Maputo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Maputo differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $1,109 including rent). Maputo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 307% higher in Bucharest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $673 in Bucharest versus $536 in Maputo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $1,109 in Maputo – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Maputo runs roughly 12% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,109 in Maputo versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maputo but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Maputo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Maputo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.